For Richard Chai, Spring Will Be Nice, But Not Very Adventurous

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With a color palette that extended from powder blue to mustard (fancifully referred to as sun yellow) to white, the Richard Chai Love spring 2013 collection followed suit with the designer’s usual unique take on menswear, and his ability to put women in pretty dresses.

Utility shirts and jackets abound. The collection was for the sporty type who loves to show off a little bit of skin now and then via a sheer bodice, a see-through coat, or a sky-high hemline. Beautiful floral patterns were a nice addition to the otherwise mostly buff, taupe and mauve wearable pieces—colors that generally don’t fall into the category of universally flattering hues.

But it was the neoprene sets and hologram embroidered pieces that gave the collection a more interesting take, rescuing it from reading flat and oversimplified, like the actual runway itself. This season, the designer scaled back the patterns, scaled back the colors, and with the exception of a few playful belly-baring tops, scaled back the fun.

Chai’s men come across more daring and fashion fearless in their androgynous parkas and wide-leg shorts (move over boyfriend jeans, ladies will want these) while his girls, while pretty in their familiar silhouettes, appear not to be the adventurous type.